Groupama Asset Managment Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 319,165 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,213 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $53,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PG. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Tevis Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 11,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.82.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $170.49 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $168.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $399.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $153.52 and a 12-month high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.